Attorney for fired Arundel spokeswoman seeks $175K

Pamela Wood, The Baltimore Sun

The attorney for a former Anne Arundel County government spokeswoman who claimed she was unfairly treated by the county and then-County Executive John R. Leopold is seeking more than $175,000 in attorney's fees.

John M. Singleton of Lutherville represents Karla Hamner, who claimed in a lawsuit she was fired in 2008 for speaking out against Leopold's behavior. Hamner recently agreed to end her case after the Anne Arundel County government offered her a $110,000 payment, plus attorney fees.

Leopold had earlier been removed as a defendant in Hamner's lawsuit. He was convicted of misconduct in office in an unrelated criminal case and resigned from office. He's appealing the convictions.

In a court filing last week, Singleton said he spent 338.35 hours on Hamner's case at a rate of $495 per hour, for a total of $167,483.25, which was the bulk of his request. He also tallied costs for an associate, paralegal, parking, mileage, certified mail, depositions and transcripts an outside counsel for a total of $176,152.59.

The award of attorney fees will be determined by a judge in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.